Taking a Stand
Q1. The issue Harjo identifies in her story is how Native Americans have been dehumanized for the purpose of making a profit and studies and being displayed in museums as sort of a “side show”.
Harjo shows this to be an extensive problem all over the United States.
Q2. Harjo’s position on this issue is taking a stand against the wrongful exploitations against dead Native Americans.
Harjo first states this stand in her thesis statement at the beginning of her story.
Q3. The evidence Harjo presents to refute the claim that housing skeletal remains of Native Americans in museums is necessary for medical research and may benefit the Indians is she states the amount of remains that are stored for these studies. She questions the professional’s truthfulness as to research in helping the Native American people and shows the amount of money that is made from the remains and artifacts.
Q4. The assumptions I think that Harjo makes about her audience is that her readers are not aware of the ongoing problem that is at hand with the dead remains of her ancestors.
Q5. Harjo uses evidence to support her argument by using the amount of Native Americans that are stored in museums for studies and what kind of profit is being made off of these remains and artifacts and the non carrying attitude of American professionals in this field of study. She questions the impact of studying the remains of dead Native Americans in order to help other Native Americans.
The evidence Harjo shows is very convincing to me as a reader because she goes to great lengths to prove her point about her subject. She states the feelings of her Native American people and her own feelings on the subject. She shows that the treatment of her people is unnecessary.
Q6. Harjo uses her status as a Native American to enhance her positions by stating the beliefs of her culture and how important and sacred it is to bury their dead.
I think Harjo’s argument could...